The Red Army From Within.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 January 1923, Page 3

The Red Army From Within.

j CONSCRTH’ION To HR REVIVED MOSCOW. Xovonilter 14. I’ndor tlio Vsyovohmli, or Scheme ol General .Military Education for tin Young. every Russian of IS and more ~ was (’sported to attend voluntnny drill • and voluntary physical exercise three I 1 times a week, three hours at a time—- : that, is nine hours a week. All Russia . ; was divided into districts and in each . ; district there "'as a Sports Director, who was more often White than Red, having keen chosen simply for his skill as an athletic instructor. To watch him there was always a politruk (contraction of two Russian words meaning; political director), just as, in the army, every colonel is watched by a political commissary. The athletic instructor performed the ifsunl work of an athletic instructor, while the politruk. carried on Communist propaganda, gave lectures, and saw that the instructor did not indulge m i any onuutwr-revnlutionary propaganda. For some months the scheme went well, because those 'll charge of, it were allowed to punish by fines and imprisonment those who failed to attend or broke any other rule. TinmodiaVely afterward* aw order came from the Soviet Government. forbidding those in charge of the Vsvnvobtirli to punish delinquent's nn'd cotuj mnnding them only to “ia.se soft words’’! The result was that throughout Russia thy attendance at these parades fell enormously. Tn my friend* district 100 lads used to turn up where I .000 should have been present ; but nevertheless this farce was continued [ fur two yeans. j COM I’CI.SORT SERVICE. I Hu expected that in a few months j (iimK’ss idle Poles agree to partial dist armnmen:) the Soviet Goverwmunt will I iv-estnblk-h i niversal military training j, for ! rom three to live years on exactly i tlic old basis which obtained under the i (V.ar for their scheme of a citizen army on the Swiss mode! lias proved a fiasco. In the Regulai A any punisbment lias i not been abolished, with the result that J discipline is good, and the stolid, boj vine Russan soldier goes about his work j| under the Republic as unconcernedly | as be went about it under the Czar, j Though nearly all the officers now l cmjrinyed are old Regular officers, . there TV no fear of their ever obtaining £ -ulu 'in inti * cnee over their soldier; jln uvi-j-riirow till- ltolsiiovist Govern I a, e 111. | Trotsky, in a recent speech to tin loxtili workc.s renunded bis hearer ( lit. hei'in lias oll'ered at Genoa ti ’ .'i iii i! otJiei nations did >o too. lull fK. ;• nee. the very eomrtry w Inch had t i «inpkiinv.d oi Jtolshi visi mililarisni ; lout rep'-led thy oiler. "The Soviet I s ttn■■ 11 ■ll it-i: t -t«ll iH.nm: iiieil. therefore | a, Army of SHO.OiK) men. s larf*e figure i.-1• sip'li :■ old .iii-s hungry country, s4x"li bad only !»ej.nn to remvor- -but ; ve raMnit: lia»e less until I It; se other i iiuni; ic« :ds-n reduce their armies.” | Trot*d.'y insisted that they mwbt i build a smkill fleet for purposes of coast 1 'lislV'iiee in the Gulf of Finland and the PAael; Sea. They arc not going to liuiftl it for purposes of Colonial adventure or in attack other nations- ‘AYo are not rl'ipdislunen.” quoth Trotsky.